“That must be a really strong kid,” Maya said, not sure that her body had recovered quite enough for that kind of exertion.
Without warning, something knocked her backward, and Maya felt herself hit something very boney. Then her body slid down, and she hit Apollo’s back, her hands reaching out to grab whatever she could so she didn’t slip off of him. Then she realized that she was nowhere near the edge of the dragon. She was at no more risk of falling off his back than his daughter had been.
Misty was clapping. “Daddy let you ride his wing!”
“Yes, yes, he did,” Maya said, scooting up close to Misty, the shock leaving her a little unsteady. She felt a mixture of excitement and anxiousness as Apollo’s wings went up. With one powerful downstroke, he launched into the air. “Whoa!” Maya said, wrapping her arms around the little girl.
“Weeee!” Misty cried, sticking her arms in the air. “Humans like to do this! But not on dragons. They do it on roaring coasters.”
Maya looked at her, not wanting to correct her, a wide smile on her face at the little girl’s words. “Yes. They do love their roaring coasters.”
Compared to her portals, the ride took a little longer, but it was far more enjoyable. As Apollo started circling over her shop, Maya looked out over his wings, noticing the way they shone in the dying light. An unbidden thought ran through her mind as she took in his dragon form.He’s absolutely stunning in every form. He could easily find someone if he wanted. Being his mate would be like winning the lottery.
“Come on, pretty lady!” Misty said as soon as his feet touched down. Without waiting, she slid off of his side.
“Misty! What are you doing here? And Cousin Apollo?”
Maya looked over the side and saw Cullen and a couple of other kids standing outside of her shop. “Misty wanted to paint, so I brought them with me.”
Trying to be brave, Maya moved to the edge as Cullen called out, “I got everything set up to make the two dragons with their two necks forming a heart. I made sure to study the heads and neck since that part looked particularly intricate.”
“Very good thinking, Cullen,” Maya called down. “Why don’t you guys go ahead and go inside? I’ll be there in a minute.”
Once the kids were gone, she relaxed a little, the obvious problem giving her pause. “How am I supposed to get down?” she murmured to herself.
Suddenly, the solid feel of Apollo’s back literally shifted under her, and she found herself free-falling.
And then landing in his arms. He was smiling as he said, “We are going to have a very long talk about this, Maya.”
“I understand, and I’m sorry. However, I didn’t really have much of a choice. If we had gone another day or two, it would have created a time paradox that would have rippled out and killed people. If I could have waited, I would have. But at best, I just get a gut feeling when time starts to run short.”
He looked at her. “So, on the day of the wedding, you manipulated time so that Cullen and his siblings could give his brother and new sister-in-law a present?”
“Yes. He looked so earnest in wanting to help, but there was literally nothing left that he could do. I figured giving him something to do that would give him a new skill would be far more valuable than some mindless chore that no one would notice.”
Apollo shook his head, but the smile was a bit bigger. “Your reputation does not do you justice. There is a heart in there somewhere.” He then put her on the ground, keeping an arm around her waist. She considered telling him that she could walk, but for some reason, Maya kept her mouth shut as he started guiding her forward. Half joking, he said, “We had best go make sure that we don’t break time.”
“Break time?” Maya laughed, then put a hand on his bicep and leaned toward him. “We can’t do anything to time that it won’t fix on its own. At most, we can give it a superficial scratch that will just ensure our own destruction.”
“I have no idea how to respond to that. You are laughing, but the words are terrifying, if true.” His smile and teasing made her giggle as she felt a warmth spreading throughout her. “Oh, and you find that funny too. I’m glad you are amused because we are talking about things that are well outside of my depths.”
“That’s pretty much how most people feel when they talk to me.” Maya smiled up at him. “I don’t take it personally.”
“That sounds like a challenge to me, and, as I told you, I am rather tenacious. Perhaps I will one day understand you.”
Maya looked into his earnest eyes, a flipping sensation in her stomach catching her attention. She placed a hand on her belly. “That’s so strange.”
His amused expression morphed into concern. “Are you hurting? How can I help?”
“No, it’s not painful. Just … I don’t know what it was.”
Apollo stopped walking. “Can you explain it?”
She rubbed a circle around her stomach. “It felt like something was wiggling around here. I have nothing to compare it to.”
“Do you mind?” Apollo was crouching a little and held his hand near her belly as he looked up at her.
“Go ahead.” Maya watched as he gingerly touched her, part of his hand touching her scar. Warmth spread through the area under his hand, and the feeling happened again. “There! It happened again.”
